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The Unseen World

"The moving story of a daughter's quest to discover the truth about her beloved father's hidden past. The moving story of a daughter's quest to discover the truth about her beloved father's hidden past Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David's mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David's colleagues. Soon after she embarks on a mission to uncover her father's secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World's heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion"--Provided by publisher.

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The pacing in this book is a bit slow but the story is quite captivating. It is the story of a young girl called Ada who is raised by her father who is a computer science genius. As her father's mind begins to fail in middle age, Ada begins to look into his mysterious past and discovers her father is not who she thinks he is. This was a page turner for me because I was so interested in seeing the story unfold.

Everything about Ada Sibelius is unusual: the circumstances of her birth, her education, her hobbies and her socialization (or lack thereof). The book takes place mostly in the 1980s when her father is a scientist working in the early days of virtual reality and AI. When Ada’s father is incapacitated, she must live without him, staying with friends, socializing with children for the first time, everything is a scary unseen world for Ada. Talented at code breaking she must solve a code to find out her father’s background. As that work goes on she must solve other codes such as the code of the schoolyard. Eventually the resolution is a brave new unseen world that is a place of joy and fulfillment.
A great novel with unforgettable characters. One of the best of the year for me.

The Unseen World is a compelling read with vibrant, finely constructed characters. Moore intertwines a complex coming of age story with the science of cryptology and the history of artificial intelligence, while simultaneously exploring the meaning of love, loss and belonging. Elements of mystery and suspense keep you turning the pages in this multi-layered gem of a book